The use of intra-oral video and/or picture taking-systems (hereinafter designated as an “intra-oral camera system” and as a camera device), has strongly increased over the recent years in the area of use of dental medicine. Such systems are deployed in a variety of settings as well as in situations in which a dentist desires to point out and display certain features of a patient's mouth. These intra-oral camera systems are more and more frequently the passport to complex diagnostic and treatment planning. With respect to such systems, it has been shown that approximately 30% of the practicing dentists between ages 35 and 54 own intra-oral camera systems and use such. It is expected that this percentage will increase as confidence is gained in the use of such systems, according to Dental Procedures Report, pages 22 to 24, February 1995.
Intra-oral camera systems are often deployed in connection with dental restoration efforts. Many people opt nowadays for clinical intervention to improve, via restorative processes, their smiles and appearance. In most such processes, modification of the form or shape of the tooth, the position of the tooth, and/or the color of the tooth are involved.
A necessary step in connection with the modification of the color of a tooth of a patient is the determination of the color shade of the respective tooth. In this connection, for example, the color of the teeth of those patients who are interested in a whiter, beaming smile are evaluated so that a comparison between the appearance of the teeth prior to the restorative treatment and the appearance of the teeth after the restorative treatment can be undertaken. The determination of the color shade is even more important for those persons who require replacement teeth; it is the goal of such restoration processes to achieve a natural appearance of the replacement teeth. For this reason, it is important to properly identify the color shade of the respective tooth so that the new restoration piece can be approximated to the original tooth or teeth.
Typically, a picture of a tooth is taken and a color shade analysis system is used in order to receive suitable information concerning the color shade and the tooth form. The users of such systems often find it difficult to properly orient the intra-oral camera. A correct axial orientation and proper picture taking alignment is, however, of significant importance for enabling the use of analysis software which then processes the picture of the tooth to determine the color shade of the respective tooth.
The size of the region of interest, the size of the camera, the intra-oral location of the area of interest, and, as well, other factors, render difficult the relevant analysis, as such factors influence the two-dimensional picture that is taken. In this connection, it may occur that less than desirable pictures are taken, such as pictures in which a to-be highlighted area of the respective tooth has been cut out or pictures of teeth that are not of interest.
A further disadvantage of such systems, which involve picture taking via a hand-held camera, is that even relatively small hand movements (such as, for example, the movement of a finger to press the shutter actuator) can cause a considerable deviation of the camera from its proper picture taking orientation.
Frequently, the taking of a satisfactory picture of an intra-oral item of interest requires, in connection with such known conventional systems, repeated attempts and/or the burdensome deployment of various devices.